Discussions about trends and things in the future by Andy Huckaba

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker‘s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that dogs’ lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, ”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The six-year-old continued,

”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

• When your loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be faithful.
• Never pretend to be something you’re not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

The observations and discussions around policy making and technology are very current and are becoming even more critical as the pace of technology accelerates. Not directly addressed, but inferred is the “social contract” that includes privacy and safety. These are complicated issues!

Ending with a quote from Thomas Jefferson that frames the discussion well:

Thomas Jefferson said in 1816, “Laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times.” But how can our policy makers and institutions keep up with the advances when the originators of the technologies themselves can’t?

Many years ago I had the opportunity to visit a university that had a 3-D “rapid prototype” printers. The concept was to take CAD drawings, send the instructions to the device and create a 3-D image by laying down layers of material. They would take a broken part or tool, create a CAD drawing of it, then feed the information to the controller to enable it to be rendered. It was a slow process, but it had the potential to allow for a number of things including the re-creation of hard-to-get and impossible-to-get machine parts, the refabrication of critical tools and dies, and the exact replication of 3-D items.

Fast forward to now. 3-D printing technology abounds with new applications for the technology surfacing every day. Now, if you want custom insoles for your shoes, that technology is there. If the International Space Station needs to replace a broken part, a 3-D printer onboard can create it. Want a pizza – now? Print it! They are even boasting that a house can be 3-D printed and built in 24-48 hours. See this link

Kansas Teen uses 3-D printer to make hand for boy

A 16 year old high school kid in the region created a 3-D printed prosthetic arm for a family friends kid who was born without fingers on one hand. It works! Article Link. What a great story! Now the promise of building replacement organs at a cellular level is near reality. Printing eyes, bone, livers, kidneys and more is very nearly here.

I think it is revolutionary and it is changing the way we think about many things. It has the potential to completely change the distribution model for the secondary parts industries. No longer will they need to have warehouses full of parts. What might this do to the shipping and transit industry? How will this further compress time-frames? How could it change the field of healthcare and medicine?

Keep your eyes on this trend. It will be a big one and could likely change all aspects of our lives.

I get excited when I see technology in use that may revolutionize the way things are done. This one is a laser that can shoot info from the moon to earth at speeds of 622 Mbps. Take a look at the video below and weigh in on how this could be part of our communications future at home.

A nice discussion of what’s been tried, what’s coming down the pike and what is here right now. More interesting are the possibilities this opens for innovation and unique application of technologies as our lives become more integrated with technology, social media and the Internet.

This past week I had the opportunity to play with a nest smart thermostat. Very elegant, very simple, yet functional, exciting. No wonder that the leaders of this company came from Apple. Just scratching the surface on what could be done.

How have you integrated technology into your home? Anxious to hear your thoughts.

We’re in the heat of the political season. The primaries have concluded and the general election races have begun. A common element across campaigns at all levels is the use of social media to brand the candidate, engage followers and participate in a virtual debate. A good article was posted today in socialmediatoday.com under the heading Social Media Tips of Politicians. The author has done a good job in identifying how to participate in social media, some good tips on what to do and what not to do. Enjoy!